Film Movement acquires ‘Whistle’

Film won Grand Jury, Alfred Bauer prizes at Berlin

Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to Romanian thriller “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle,” which won the Grand Jury and Alfred Bauer prizes at the Berlin Film Festival.

“Whistle,” directed by newcomer Florin Serban, is written and produced by Romanian filmmaker Catalin Mitulescu (“How I Spent the End of the World”). The pic will start its national theatrical rollout in New York City on Jan. 5, followed by a video on demand release later in 2011.

Story centers on an 18-year-old about to be released from a juvenile detention center. “Whistle” is Romania’s official selection for the 2011 Academy Awards.